A Virginia man was arrested for prioritizing his personal plans rather than his wife’s freedom.
He allegedly tied his wife to a chair and left her in the basement for a reason that has left the internet fuming.
But what was even more problematic than the actual crime were the comments defending the exploitative husband and minimizing his alleged harmful behavior.
A Virginia man was arrested after police responded to a call about a domestic disturbance
Trigger warning: This article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Terry Ward, 64, found himself in handcuffs after cops discovered he had tied his wife up in the basement of their Virginia home.
Police responded to a call about a reported domestic disturbance at around 11:30 p.m. on October 11.
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They arrived at his Richmond home and spoke to the wife, who remained unidentified.
She accused Terry of tying her up to a chair with tape and leaving her in the basement while he went upstairs to watch football. Terry later admitted to committing the disturbing act.
“When I arrived on scene, [name redacted] stated that her husband had tied her to a chair with tape in the basement,” a Richmond Police officer wrote in the criminal complaint.
“Terry stated that he did indeed tied his wife [name redacted] to a chair and place[d] her down in the basement,” the officer continued.
Terry Ward allegedly left his wife tied up in the basement for a football game
Soumith Soman/Pexels (not the actual image), ai-assisted image
The woman said she had been restrained for between 30 and 45 minutes, and her body showed signs of being taped around both her arms.
No details were mentioned about which game the husband was watching.
“She had marks and tape residue on both arms and told police she had been restrained for up to 45 minutes,” the officer added.
The arrested husband was charged with felony abduction and misdemeanor a**ault on a family member, as per court documents.
He is expected to appear in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on November 10.
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The incident involving Terry raised questions about how some people react to alleged ab*se.
Mistreatment at home is not limited to physical injuries. Restraining a partner against their will can be frightening and controlling for the victim.
Yet, comments online treated the incident as a joke instead of addressing the seriousness of the husband’s alleged actions.
Police reportedly found marks on the wife’s arms after she was restrained
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A photo of Terry with the text “our hero” was shared online, while one netizen demanded: “Free him.”
One claimed he “needs a statue” and shared a seemingly AI-generated image of Terry as a statue, holding a football in his hand.
“This should be legalized, I’ll pay his bail,” read one problematic comment.
“D*mn that man only wanted peace for 3 hours,” one commented online. Another said, “When you tell your wife you’re going to watch the game uninterrupted and you actually mean it.”
Internet users clash over whether the incident was something to laugh about
One wrote, “I’m sure all sports fans can relate to this lmao. Nothing worse than a mf that doesn’t shut the f*** up especially when your team is losing.”
“Seems a little dramatic for this to be punishable by law,” one said.
Another concerning comment said he “should have just gotten her a sleepy pill.”
The comments have drawn criticism for making light of an incident involving alleged domestic violence and treating the act of the wife being restrained as a harmless or minor inconvenience.
By portraying Terry as a hero who simply wanted some peace to watch football, some users dismissed the seriousness of the allegations and reduced his wife’s experience to a joke.
Several netizens called people out for their comments and expressed concern over using humor to minimize potentially ab*usive behavior.
“For those laughing, domestic violence isn’t funny,” one person said. Another wrote, “This is ab*sive, and he needs to be held accountable!”
“I land on the side that domestic violence is never a joke,” said another.
Apart from physical injuries, domestic violence can include a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over the other.
These may involve psychological ab*se, s**ual violence, intimidation, manipulation, economic coercion, and so on. Data reveals that approximately one in four women and one in nine men in the U.S. experience contact s**ual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime, with negative impacts such as injury, fear, safety concerns, or the need for support services. Click here to learn more.
“They arrested the wrong person lol… that man just wanted a moment of peace,” read one of the problematic comments online
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